Then and Now Photos Reveal Devastated Normandy Post-WWII Compared to Present Day

Then and now views of Argentan town hall which had to be knocked down and rebuilt. Men of 318th Inf Regt are raising the American flag. NARA / Simon Forty / Casemate Publishers / mediadrumworld.com

By Rebecca Drew

FASCINATING then and now images showing how the battlefields of France were left devastated in the three months after the WW2 D-Day landings have been revealed in a thrilling new book.

The series of contrasting photographs show the Germans proudly marching through Cherbourg along what is today known as the Voie de la Liberté. A war-torn Coutances is also depicted with its cathedral, which still stands today untouched by the littering of bombs that hit, a model of the Eiffel tower can be seen lying amongst the rubble.

Then and now views of Argentan town hall which had to be knocked down and rebuilt. Men of 318th Inf Regt are raising the American flag. NARA / Simon Forty / Casemate Publishers / mediadrumworld.com

Other pictures show Canadian David Currie who was awarded the Victoria Cross whilst in command of a battle group near St. Lambert-sur-Dive whilst trying to close the Falaise Gap where the German army was destroyed.

The incredible shots have been released in the book, The Normandy Battlefields Bocage and Breakout: From the Beaches to the Falaise Gap by Simon Forty, Leo Marriott and George Forty. It is published by Casemate Publishers.

“France saw, as you might imagine, serious damage to its buildings and serious loss of life among its inhabitants. Some places—Saint-Lô, Caen, Saint-Malo, Le Havre—were flattened,” said Simon.

A pair of M8 Greyhounds of 82nd Armd Recon Bn, from CCA 2nd Armored Division patrols St. Sever-Calvados. When Tessy was captured, Gen Corlett drove further south and, on August 4, the 28th Inf Div captured St. Sever-Calvados, eight miles southeast of Percy. At the same time the 29th Division, with CCA attached, reached the northwest of Vire. NARA / Simon Forty / Casemate Publishers / mediadrumworld.com

“It can be hard to envision wartime France when you’re standing among rebuilt city centres. Then and now photography allows you a glimpse of the past and a fragmentary link to our forebears many of whom died for their country.

“It’s also instructive for an author to travel to the locations you write about, it can help you understand much better why things happened in particular places and how geography played such a crucial role in the campaign. To give one example, the bocage, visiting the area today one can only marvel at the bravery of anyone who would fight there.

“There are many books on the battle of Normandy, but that’s because the subject is so fascinating and the battlefields are so close.

A pair of M8 Greyhounds of 82nd Armd Recon Bn, from CCA 2nd Armored Division patrols St. Sever-Calvados. When Tessy was captured, Gen Corlett drove further south and, on August 4, the 28th Inf Div captured St. Sever-Calvados, eight miles southeast of Percy. At the same time the 29th Division, with CCA attached, reached the northwest of Vire. NARA / Simon Forty / Casemate Publishers / mediadrumworld.com

“For a British military historian, few other World War Two campaigns command a similar interest. A huge opposed landing against a brutal regime that had four years to prepare for the assault.

“We and our Allies fought a tenacious, fanatical enemy. And we won. We out-thought them, winning the strategic battle; we out-foxed them—they fell for the ‘fortitude’ deception plan.

“The breakout Operation Cobra took them completely by surprise; and we out-generalled them, because the much-maligned Montgomery and Bradley destroyed the opposition in twelve weeks of fighting.

“Leo and I have produced books on D-Day and the battles in the Low Countries,” added Simon.

“This book looks at the Normandy campaign that falls chronologically between these two.

“Its mix of old and new photographs serves as an introduction to the campaign, a primer for those who want to visit the battlefields or an easy-to-read photographic essay for the armchair enthusiast.”

Simon Forty / Casemate Publishers / mediadrumworld.com

Published by Casemate Publishers, The Normandy Battlefields Bocage and Breakout: From the Beaches to the Falaise Gap by Simon Forty, Leo Marriott and George Forty is now available to buy on Amazon for RRP £19.99.

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